Achieving a Dream

On February 21, 2019, the Iowa City zoning commission meeting
was packed with people, lining the walls and filling all of the available
seats. There were two items on the agenda for the members of the commission to
discuss that night; the most significant being the rezoning of the Forest View
mobile home park. The majority of people in the room were residents of Forest
View and the surrounding neighborhoods, and had come tonight to speak about the
project and the effect that it would have on their community.

To begin the meeting, the proposed development was
described, and all of the new changes implemented in newer designs were
explained. The plan is to create a commercial center on the middle to eastern
side of the property, where the mobile homes currently are, and is set to
include a gas station, restaurants, and possibly a hotel. The mobile homes will
be replaced with manufactured homes, and the residential area will be relocated
to the far west side of the property. The neighborhood side of Forest View will
have community recreational areas and senior housing as well.

But what makes this development so impactful to the residents,
and so necessary to get underway, is its plan for affordable long term housing.
The manufactured homes will have a low monthly rent that if the residents pay
for 15 years, will eventually transfer into ownership of their homes. For many,
this would be their first chance to become homeowners, as well as to own a
permanent home within a community that is central to the way they live their
lives. Forest View residents spoke about how their strong community of
neighbors was why they chose to live in the mobile home park in the first
place; and it’s the reason now that they remain invested in this development,
even after three years of uncertainty.

What struck me the most, after hearing the long, dry
explanation from both the commission members and the developers at the
beginning of the meeting, was how different “three years” sounded coming from
them than it did when it came from the residents of Forest View. The first
person to approach the stand to speak was a resident of the neighborhood for
over 40 years. She described the excitement she remembers feelings when the
developers first came to her and her neighbors. She had never owned a home
before, and this was an unbelievable opportunity for her to do so and still be
within the community that she loved. But, she went on, one year turned into
two. Then three. Now, with no end in sight to the delays and the
reconsiderations that plague the development plans, she, along with the
countless other neighbors she’s lived next to for years, is having her mobile
home fall apart around her from old age.

More and more residents came up and echoed her concerns.
Many spoke about how long the development was taking to be set into motion, and
how important it was that the zoning commission make concrete decisions to finalize
its construction. But residents also spoke with some insight to why it had been
taking so long to get underway; the development needed to be something that
everyone involved could be proud of.

When it came to this, there was a different definition for
everyone there. A particular example would be the proposed gas station, which
would be right on the road leading into Forest View. One commission member was
hung up on how necessary the creation of a gas station would be, to which a few
women from the neighborhood adjacent to the development eagerly nodded. The
representative for the developer, Black Bird Investments, explained that the
gas station would bring in a steady stream of revenue, offsetting the low
monthly rent paid by those living in affordable housing. The only way that this
rent would remain affordable, he explained, is if the gas station is there. One
of these women from the neighborhood got up later to speak. She said that she
didn’t want to be able to throw a rock out her bedroom window and hit a gas
pump, therefore, the gas station should still be reconsidered.

This was just one of the points of contention which made it
easier to understand, as the meeting went on, why this has taken process has
taken so long. But the sentiment echoed by everyone, residents of Forest View
and of elsewhere, was that the reason they came to these meetings was because
they cared about the development. Despite all of the disagreements on the
details, this project is still something that people are invested in, and want
to see become a reality. One Forest View resident said that this project was a
chance at achieving a dream, for him and his children, that he’s worked towards
for 30 years. He offered up any and all of his services to the developers.
“Whatever you need me to do, whenever you need me, I’ll do it,” he laughed.
There was a lot of laughter in the room that night, mostly coming from
empathetic neighbors seeing each other struggle to articulate the frustration
that they’ve all felt for so long. There were tears too, for the same reason.

It is unclear whether or not the personal testimonials from
the Forest View community will actually speed up the approval of the
development or not. But what the night did show, as one concerned citizen put
it, is that residents of Forest View are incredible advocates for themselves.
As long as this development takes to be approved, they will be there, speaking
up and collaborating as a community, in order to make their American dream into
a reality.

Join us our Allies meeting to continue discussing the actions community allies can take to support low-wage workers and immigrants. Through community support, CWJ has been able to assist hundreds of workers to recover over $65,000 in wage theft, create one of the first Community ID programs in the Midwest, and raise the county’s minimum wage to ensure a higher standard of living for our community’s families. We’re currently working on multiple affordable, safe housing campaigns, immigration response, and continued work listening and responding to our community.